Three doors down
by Melonypond
Summary: Johnlock college au. Sherlock lives three doors down from John. Their few brief talks in class become something more after a terrible experience.
1. three doors down

_**Hello everyone, this story was based off a tumblr prompt. I didn't beta it so sorry if anyone is a bit OC, it shouldn't be too bad. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it!**_

* * *

John sat down at his computer, pushing away the heavy textbooks and frowning. He was studying at Uni to become a doctor and his final for this semester was tomorrow. He honestly tried to study but the words just kept swimming on the pages and he couldn't focus any more. Instead of forcing himself to endure more torturous, impossible attempts at focus, John decided to have a brake and go on tumblr.

"If anyone can simplify my text book, I will love you forever." He wrote before hitting enter and continuing to scroll through his blog.

Sherlock Holmes dropped his textbooks on his bed and walked straight to the computer. There was no way he was going to spend time reviewing the information he had already packed into his mind palace. He flipped quickly logged onto tumblr and scrolled down his dash. Sherlock smirked slightly, seeing the desperate text post. He clicked the link to the blog, somebodysdoctor. The image on the side was of a short man with sandy blonde hair and a tired smile.

Sherlock clicked quickly on the "ask" link. "I'd assume medical textbooks?" He wrote, "Let me see what I can do." Just before he hit send, Sherlock clicked anon.

John sighed and returned to the top of his blog, checking for a message before he reluctantly tried to study again. He smiled, seeing the little red bubble by his message icon. Clicking the anon message, John began typing out a reply. "You'd have to be daft to want to help me. These textbooks are awful. They're just dreadfully boring, but if you want to know, they're "Advanced human biology" by Roger McKeen. In all seriousness though, if you could help me understand them I would love you." John hit the post button and waited for a response.

Sherlock hit the refresh button on somebodysdoctor, waiting for a reply to his ask. When he saw it he read quickly and scoffed. "As it so happens, my class is studying the book as well. What do you need help with?" He clicked anon and sent the message.

John flipped his book open and listed off some of the things he was having issues with in the book, mostly wordings and a few general topics. He and the anon continued talking long into the night.

Just before John was going to go to sleep, he got a final message from the anon. "Glad to help you with your finals, good luck tomorrow."

John smiled. "Hey, why don't you come off anon? I said I'd love you forever if you helped me and it's a little hard to do that when I don't even know who you are."

Sherlock smiled at the response. "Now, now my doctor, be patient. I don't hand out my personal information to just anyone."

John frowned when he got this. "How could a blog url be personal information?" He asked.

Sherlock smiled sadly and closed out of tumblr without answering. He shifted the books off his bed and flopped into it. This was the longest someone had talked to him without shouting and Sherlock was terrified he would screw it up if this boy had any idea who he was. He wasn't willing to take that risk just yet. Shaking his head to clear it of sentiment, Sherlock turned his light off and lay in his bed.

Three doors down the hall, John gave up on getting a response and closed the top of his laptop, laying down on his bed and thinking about the anon. Sighing with a tight feeling in his chest, John turned his light off and went to sleep.

The next morning, John woke up and crawled out of bed, packing up and leaving his small dorm to get some coffee from the shop. Upon reaching the shop, he ordered a cappuccino and bagel. He walked over to one of the small tables and sat down tiredly. The sun was barely brushing the tips of the fall trees and there was a thin layer of frost on the grass. John sighed and rubbed his face before looking down at his wristwatch, it was 6:20 and his exam started at 7. Sighing, John sipped at his coffee, wanting more than anything to just go back to sleep.

Sherlock rolled off his bed, he had fallen asleep at approximately 4:45 last night and it was 6 now. He ignored the exhaustion as he always did and entered his mind palace, sifting through the information he would need for today. Human Bio was easy, but he wanted to be sure that he had all his facts down.

Sherlock moved through his thoughts, going past the Human Bio lab. Standing at the end of the hall was a blonde haired man, smiling with his hands behind his back. It was the man he was chatting with on tumblr last night. Where had he seen the face before? It was far more familiar now that it was on the computer screen last night. Sighing angrily, Sherlock left his mind palace and stood up. He pulled on a clean button down and shrugged his long coat over his shoulders. He figured he would walk down to the coffee shop to try and clear his head. Maybe even remember where he had seen that man before.

It was 6:45 and John stood with a sigh, walking out of the near empty room and out into the crisp fall air. His Bio room wasn't far from the coffee shop but John wanted to get there early. The grass was covered in a thin layer of frost and his breath clouded around him. Taking a sip of his coffee, John began walking to his class.

Not long after John left the shop, Sherlock walked in. He ordered a simple coffee and walked out. His long coat was billowing out behind him and his scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. The crisp air bit at his hands and face, but Sherlock didn't notice it. He instead chose to scan the immediate area to gather possibly useful information. There frosted grass was undisturbed and the few, stubborn brown leaves rustled in the slight wind. On a far path, he saw a blond, short boy jogging carefully to his class. Sherlock hit himself on the forehead and looked back at the boy. John, John Watson. That was where he had seen him before, the two had human bio together.

Sherlock swallowed hard and regained his calculating look. Whatever happened, he was planning on using tumblr to his favor. If John knew who he was he would surely stop talking to the freak. He continued walking, taking a sip of his warm coffee. This was his one chance not to be a complete ass and screw everything up.

After a few minutes, a tall, dark haired man walked in. Sherlock Holmes, the genius. John smiled slightly and watched him flop into an empty seat. Sherlock was elusive, often hiding in his room for days at a time. No one ever really talked to him, but he never really looked like he craved a good chat. Or a friend, for that matter. John glanced away from Sherlock, he wished he had the nerve to talk to Sherlock. He looked at the clock, focusing on counting the minutes to the test instead of dreaming about how perfect Sherlock's cheekbones were.

He watched as the clock hit 7 the professor closed the door and turned the lock. Any students running late would be locked out with no remorse. Turning his attention to Mrs. Hudson, he pretended to pay attention to her lecture about how there was to be no cheating. And everyone was to take their time and read over the test and on and on and on. John quickly lost interest and looked at the people around him.

In one corner was Molly Hooper. She was a kind, polite woman but John hadn't talked with her much. She was very self-conscious and incredibly smart, rivaling Sherlock in this subject. A few seats away was Philip Anderson, an annoying suck up who was only just passing the course. He always made scathing remarks about Sherlock and Mrs. Hudson behind their backs. John couldn't stand the self-centered, sneering brat.

A paper was slapped on John's desk, shocking him out of his thoughts. Looking down, the blond man scribbled his name at the top and smiled as he very quickly filled in the answers to the questions. After getting study help from the anonymous tumblr user, he was more confident than ever with this subject. John moved quickly through is test, filling in the bubbles and writing his short essays quickly and confidently.

Across the room, Sherlock deftly answered questions. Dull, this class never was a challenge. He glanced up and looked at John. The blond man was grinning as he wrote with complete confidence. Sherlock smirked slightly, glancing at Anderson to see the moron scratch his head and stare at his test. Sherlock looked back down returning to his test.

Finishing quickly, he turned the test over and leaned back in his chair, opting to wander around his mind palace. He strode briskly through the halls, heading to his archives on interesting people. Pulling open a file cabinet he removed John's file. Flicking it open, he read through the information.

John Watson, came from a poor family, works hard and honestly. Most likely military parents, very strict but always mean well. He is always one to help people, even going out of his way to at times. Plans on becoming a doctor. Constant, suppressed need for adventure. Probably the only person on campus that didn't hate him.

Sherlock smiled slightly, strolling out of his mind palace and opening his eyes. He looked over at the clock, ten minutes until the final was to be completed. Glancing at John, he saw the man was flicking his eyes over a set of notes and muttering under his breath. Sherlock sighed quietly and began running through the information he would need for his next exam.

The bell rang and Sherlock removed himself from his thoughts and stood. He turned and began walking out of the classroom. He tossed his empty coffee in the trash and strolled out the door.

John watched as Sherlock left. He sighed and closed his notebook, leaving the small room. He wished he could just work up the nerve to Sherlock, he always looked so lonely. Shaking his head, john turned his collar up and walked into the brisk wind outside. He hustled across camps to his dorm, still thinking about how he would like to talk with Sherlock.

On the way there, he saw three senior boys huddled around someone, pushing the man from one to the next before shoving him to the ground. John started towards them, prepared to throw a punch if necessary.

Sherlock hit the ground hard. One of the men grabbed the hair on the back of his head and smiled cruelly. He shoved Sherlock face into a glazed over puddle. The water was murky and borderline frozen. It bit at his face, but the more Sherlock struggled to get his face out, the deeper his face was forced. All of the sudden, the pressure on his head was gone. Sherlock pulled his face out of the puddle and gasped, shivering. The three men who were tormenting him had ran off, but one shadow remained.

Sherlock shivered, reaching to pull his coat around his shoulders only to discover that it was gone. The water on his face was beginning to freeze and Sherlock shivered more, trying to wipe the water off with his hands. The wind was biting through his dress shirt and his scarf was gone as well. He was about to stand when a heavy, warm coat dropped around his shoulders. It was smaller than his coat but just as warm. Sherlock pulled his legs to his chest and pulled the coat around himself, trying to regain a little warmth.

John had come over just in time to witness the three men shove Sherlock's face into the puddle. "Hey!" John shouted at them, stalking forward. "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing!" John was furious.

One of the men glanced at John. "Get out of here pipsqueak." He growled before returning to his tormenting.

John glared at them and stepped forward, tapping the largest one on the shoulder. He turned around and John took this opportunity to use the heel of his hand to smash into his nose. Turning on his heel, he used his momentum to punch the other man in the stomach and knee him in the groin. Turning again, he watched with satisfaction as the third man was already running. John returned his attention to the other two men.

"Leave. Now." He growled, keeping his voice completely level. He watched them scuttle away and then looked back at Sherlock. The man was sneezing, coughing, and shivering. His coat was laying on the ground a good ways away. His scarf was in the low branches of a tree.

John sighed sadly for him and unzipped his black jacket. He draped it around Sherlock's shoulders and quickly retrieved Sherlock's scattered clothing. He crouched down next to the shivering body.

"Hey, come on. "He whispered to Sherlock, "Let's get you warm." John wrapped Sherlock's coat over the other and coaxed the tall freezing boy upright.

"Th-th-th-thank y-y-you." Sherlock chattered, pulling the coats tighter around himself. He followed John into the dorm hall and into the other man's small room.

John guided him over to the bed, wrapping another blanket around the thin man's shoulders. He pulled the desk chair out and sat across from Sherlock. "I'm John." He said, smiling at him.

"Sh- Sh- Sherlock." He stuttered, nodding quickly at John and pulling the fabric tighter around his shoulders. His the thin layer of ice on his face had thawed but he was still remarkably cold.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you. I'm sorry no one came to help you earlier."

Sherlock took a deep breath, trying to stop his chattering teeth. "I- I'm used to it." Sherlock mumbled. His observations had gotten him in more trouble than this before and they would get him in more trouble later. It's just what happened.

"Excuse me?" John was shocked. "You're used to getting your face stuffed in a frozen puddle?"

Sherlock looked away. "Usually it's worse. The frozen puddles happen pretty often." Sherlock looked away, how could he be this pathetic.

John was shocked speechless. The whole relentless bullying phase was supposed to be done and over with by the end of high school. "Sherlock I-"

"No, it's fine." Sherlock cut him off. "I appreciate what you did but I'm okay. I should probably go to my room, you have another final coming up too I would bet." He slipped John's coat off his shoulders and moved the blanket off too. Standing up, Sherlock turned to leave the room.

John reached out, grabbing his wrist. "Please, I don't have another final today. If you do, let me walk with you." He stumbled over his words, just trying to get Sherlock to stay.

Sherlock bit his lip. "It's really not necessary." He said, looking away but not pulling his arm out of John's grip. "You wouldn't want to spend time with me anyways."

John kept his grip on Sherlock's wrist and stepped in front of him, blocking the door. "Let me talk with you, please. Even if it's just walking to your next final, you shouldn't be alone."

Sherlock just shook his head and looked away. "I'll be fine. I'm just going to mu room."

John looked torn, "Stay here, just one minute, okay?" He let go of Sherlock's wrist and moved to his desk. Tearing a small sheet of paper out, he scribbled down his name and number. "Call or text me any time." He pressed it in Sherlock's palm, smiling at him.

Sherlock nodded and stepped back, opening the door and walking into the hall. He continued around the corner until he was sure John had closed his door before returning to his room.

He tossed the paper on his desk and flopped into his bed, wrapping the sheets around himself. A small tear rolled down his cheek, getting close was hard, but staying distant was horrible. Maybe it was time to leave his comfort zone.


	2. You really don't

_**Sorry for not uploading faster, I started this fic at an awkward time for me with finals and projects and my spring sport starting. I haven't had a lot of time for free writing. But enough words from me, onto chapter two!**_

* * *

The next day, Sherlock woke up and rolled off the bed. He picked up the scrap of paper with John's number on it and bit his lip. A friendship and a risk, or ignoring the one person who doesn't hate him to prevent a maybe. To prevent infinite maybes. Because _maybe_ John had a thing for Sherlock and _maybe _it was just pity. _Maybe_ he just wanted to be friends, _maybe_ John wanted to exploit him, _maybe _John would lose interest, _maybe_ they would stay together until the end of the year and _maybe _they would never be anything. The world was full of maybes, there was no way to avoid them.

Sherlock fell back on his bed with a huff of irritation. He closed his eyes and entered his mind palace. With all of these maybes floating to mind he needed some form or filter, a list. He ran through his halls, plagued by the constant "what ifs" floating around in his head. Memories, facts. He needed logic.

Sherlock's eyes snapped open and he gasped, surfacing from his mind palace. He remembered last night, the messages on tumblr. A friendship on tumblr, an anonymous relationship with careful questions and stories of his life. If he ever wanted to, he could reveal himself for John, he could come clean.

Sherlock stood back up and grabbed his phone, punching the numbers into John's contact along with his tumblr url. He opened up a new message and hovered his fingers over the screen before shaking his head, discarding the message he had yet to start. Instead, opting to open his tumblr, scrolling through John's blog.

A devoted _bones _fan along with _house _and _fringe._ Sherlock prefered _lie to me_ and _leverage_. He continued to scroll. Just as he had suspected, John was studying to be a medical doctor. He was signed up to go into the military as an army doctor after obtaining his degree.

Sherlock scrolled for the better part of an hour before sending a message on anon. "How did your final go?". He sent before closing the cover to his laptop and changing his clothes he strolled out of the room to his next final.

Sherlock jogged down the stairs. Walking briskly he made his way across campus in the bitter cold. He was about halfway to the room when he heard a voice behind him.

"Sherlock!" The voice called.

Sighing slightly, he continued his pace, not breaking stride. It was probably another tormenter, one of hell's demons placed at this school specifically to make Sherlock's life miserable.

"Sherlock wait up!" The voice called again. This time his stride faltered only slightly. He heard footsteps pounding on the pavement and Sherlock braced himself for a shove or punch. He was pleasantly surprised to see a sandy blond head of hair bob next to him.

"Don't you know that when someone tells you to wait up, you shouldn't start walking faster?" The shorter man huffed, matching Sherlock's speed.

"I- sorry. Normally people don't tell me to wait up so we can talk." He stated blandly.

"The thing that happened yesterday, is that a normal thing for you?" John asked, concerned.

Sherlock nodded, there was no need to elaborate.

"Hey, next time anything gets rough or you feel threatened, just get in touch with me. Call, text, messenger pigeon, what ever. Just tell me and I'll be over there as fast as I can. You don't deserve the treatment they give you."

Sherlock nodded his head. "Thank you." He mumbled awkwardly. Sherlock desperately wanted to talk to John, he wanted to talk to John but he couldn't. The words wouldn't come out, he couldn't even think of something intelligent to say.

He continued like normal on the outside, keeping his cold detached shell engaged for the sake of protection. Inside, Sherlock was trying desperately to talk, say anything that would let John know how he felt. The man next to him continued throwing him off, he just couldn't focus. To make it worse, the "maybes" and "what ifs" began to creep out from the shadows of his mind. Seeking respite from the worldly onslaught, Sherlock set himself to autopilot. He began going deeper into his mind in an attempt to hide from it all. All the pointless questions and anger.

John chewed on his lip for a bit, looking at Sherlock. The man was a good four inches taller than John. He walked quietly beside Sherlock but it was easy to tell Sherlock wasn't entirely there. They way he walked, staring straight ahead and moving mechanically, he was detached and unresponsive.

"Sherlock." John prompted. He frowned, when he did not respond. Looking closer, John could see that Sherlock was breathing faster, his pace increasing. John matched his pace and tried again. "Sherlock!" he demanded. The man just kept walking faster. "Sherlock!" John half shouted, grabbing Sherlock's arm.

Sherlock was running through his mental halls, evading the thoughts and questions that plagued his mind. He gasped softly when he was violently ripped from his palace. Sherlock became acutely aware of his surroundings. The crisp air biting at his face, his semi-irregular breaths shattering the calmness around him, and the tight grip on his arm that shocked him back to reality.

He stopped in his tracks and turned back towards John. The smaller man looked at him carefully. "Sherlock," he said quietly, "What's wrong?"

Taking a careful breath, Sherlock smiled awkwardly and quickly replied, "Nothing. I'm fine John."

John narrowed his eyes. "Liar." he challenged, staring hard at his taller friend. "Tell me, please."

Sherlock shook his head and looked away. "You have a final John. My problems aren't important." He wouldn't bother John with his issues. If he was lucky, John would forget about this.

John looked hard at Sherlock and sighed. "Today then. Sherlock just talk to me, I only want to be your friend."

Sherlock turned sharply and bit his lip. "No, you really don't." He mumbled just loudly enough for John to hear before striding briskly away.


	3. I won't leave

**I'm sorry it's taken me forever to upload this, but chapter 4 and 5 are coming along and will be posted soon. Anyways,enjoy!**

* * *

John watson stood still and watched as Sherlock stalked away. If this was a normal thing for him, the tormenting and cruelty, it was no wonder he rejected any form of attachment. John felt like his heart was caving in on itself, the poor man was so alone. Biting his lip, he regretfully turned and walked to his class. As much as he wanted to help, his final was coming and he couldn't risk failure. He promised himself he would find Sherlock immediately after class.

Sherlock walked calmly into class and sat himself down in the back corner of the room, preparing himself to take a test that he would undoubtedly ace. His mind kept wandering back to John. That man was so kind and caring, it was only a matter of time until he realized how much of an ass Sherlock could be. He sighed softly as the test was placed on his desk. It was so simple, just a regurgitation of what the professor wanted. He filled each answer in without having to exert any effort at all. Leaning back, he looked at the clock and found that he had only spent little over ten minutes on the test. It was all Sherlock could do to not groan out loud as he realised he had another hour to kill.

Finals seemed to drag on for a ridiculous amount of time for John. He was done with his final fairly quickly and he had nothing to do other than sit and wait. He put his head on his desk and sighed quietly, resigning himself to the near hour of coming boredom.

John watched the minutes tick past on the clock. The moment the bell rang, he was out of his seat and walking quickly towards the door. John slid through the mass of bodies in the corridors and ran across campus to find Sherlock. He stood on the side of the path where they had split and waited.

Sherlock turned his collar up and hurried outside of the building. With luck, no one would bother him on the trip between the two buildings. He glanced up briefly and spotted John standing on the sidewalk. Moving quickly, Sherlock turned down a side path and took a long route around the buildings. It was not that he didn't like John, he just didn't want him to get hurt.

Sherlock turned around the corner of a building and was confronted by James Moriarty and his cronies. He sighed, watching them stalk closer and bracing himself for hell.

"Hey there freak." James spat. "You got of early yesterday, thanks to that little shit John. " James stood close enough to be nose to nose with Sherlock. "t doesn't look like you have anyone coming for you now." He hissed through a maniacal smile. Sherlock saw the other men circle around him, grinning venomously.

Sherlock looked over the group, coming up with a quick observation that would surely rub Moriarty the wrong way. "Come now James," he whispered just loud enough for them all to hear. "Just because your girlfriend is more interested in Anderson than you, doesn't mean you should take your anger out on me." He narrowed his eyes at Moriarty, steeling himself for the beating to come.

Moriarty snarled at Sherlock and nodded at two of larger men. They grabbed Sherlock by the arms and held him still as Moriarty stepped back and hit him hard in the gut. Just as Sherlock inhaled again, he was hit across the face and again in the stomach. Nodding to his men, Sherlock was dropped and surrounded.

The men all hit him over and over again. Kicks to the ribs and head. Not once did Sherlock cry out. Not once did he give Moriarty the pleasure of knowing how badly the hits hurt. They stripped his jacket off and dropped it into a large puddle before grabbing Sherlock and dumping him in a cold, damp corner. James smirked at Sherlock and leaned in close. "When will you learn to shut up." He hissed before standing and walking away with his men.

Sherlock shivered as the sun started to set. It would be hours until someone would walk past, if anyone did at all. Everything hurt, Sherlock's head was pounding and he felt the numbness settling in his limbs. If he didn't get inside, chances were he would freeze to death where he sat.

Gritting his teeth, Sherlock stood and limped over to his coat. He dropped on the half frozen ground and fished through his damp pockets, searching for his phone. Struggling to bend his fingers, Sherlock typed his message out to John. "I'm outside. Help. -SH". Hitting the send button, Sherlock dropped his phone onto his coat. The sun had now fully set and Sherlock was truly alone.

John stood and waited until there was no one left outside. He sighed and concluded that Sherlock must have slipped past him. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, John reluctantly shuffled back to his dorm room.

Sitting down on his small bed, John pulled his laptop out and pulled up tumblr. He had one message from an anonymous user. "How did finals go?"

John smiled and typed up his response. "Great thanks! I still wish you would come off anon." He posted it and began to scroll through his dash. John's phone buzzed next to him, alerting the arrival of a message.

John was surprised to see a text from an unknown number. "I'm outside. Help. -SH".

"Sherlock." John whispered. He slapped his laptop shut and grabbed his coat. John tore his door open and sprinted down the hall and outside the door of his building. John tapped Sherlock's number and called, rushing frantically around the paths outside. He called for Sherlock as the phone rang. John cursed as he reached voicemail. He called again and continued to shout for Sherlock. Rounding the corner of a set of rarely used buildings, he saw a lump on the side of the path.

Fearing the worst, John sprinted down the concrete slabs, falling to his knees in front of Sherlock. The other man was shivering violently and bleeding in various places. He was curled tightly around himself to conserve what heat he could. Next to him, his coat sat half frozen in a small puddle.

"Sherlock." John choked, pulling his jacked off himself and covering his friend. He took Sherlock's phone off his jacket and stuffed it in his own pocket. John threw the wet coat over his shoulder and picked up Sherlock. "Hold on, stay with me Sherlock." John pleaded, flying down the path back to his dorm.

Sherlock continued to shiver in John's arms and groan softly as he was jostled in the run. He felt the warm air of the dorm room wrap around him as they entered the hall. John was breathing hard but he continued to move quickly to his room. He unlocked his door quickly and placed Sherlock on his bed.

John moved quickly, draping four blankets on Sherlock before grabbing his warmest jumper and a pair of sweatpants. He sat next to Sherlock and helped him sit upright. John unbuttoned the other man's damp shirt and pulled the jumper over his head. With a doctor's professional manner, he stripped Sherlock of his damp trousers and put the sweats back on him.

Sherlock was still shivering violently. His lips were blue and split and one of his eyes was swollen almost shut. Some of the heat was returning to his body but it was slow going. "Sherlock, talk to me." John whispered, pulling the thin man close to share body heat.

"It was my fault." Sherlock whispered, staring blankly at the wall.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm so useless. I should just shut up. No one wants to hear the truth, not when it hurts."

"Sherlock, you're not useless. You're brilliant. You're the smartest person I've ever met.

Sherlock just Shook his head. He could feel the pain, but distantly. Another violent shiver wracked his body. John walked over to his dresser, pulling out a first aid kit. He turned back to Sherlock and began to clean his scrapes and cuts.

Sherlock pushed John away. "Stop, just- Stop." He had tears his eyes. "I'll be fine John, don't wor- worry about m-me. I'm used to it."

John Kneeled in front of Sherlock and continued to work on cleaning his scrapes. "John, i don't-"

"Shut up." John ordered. He continued to clean and bandage his friend. "Friends take care of each other. Trying to 'protect' me from James and his thugs isn't taking care of me. Contrary to your beliefs, it's just you putting yourself in more danger. For such a genius you can be an absolute moron." He packed his kit and looked up at Sherlock's swollen face. "This needs to be reported."

"No." Sherlock insisted. "It will only get worse."

"Bullshit, you have physical proof of what they've done. It would get them kicked off campus. Expelled. Sherlock it would free you."

"But what if they don't believe me? No one was there."

"I'll vouch for you. This can't continue." John demanded.

Sherlock shivered again, pulling the blankets tighter.

John sighed and pushed himself to his feet. Putting his back to the wall, he pulled Sherlock onto his side. Lifting the covers carefully, John slipped under the covers next to his friend. He wrapped his arms around Sherlock. "You're freezing." He whispered, pulling his friend closer.

"I hadn't n-noticed." Sherlock hissed. He continued to shiver, staring into the room.

John smiled softly, wrapping his arms around Sherlock's waist. He sighed happily, resting his face just behind Sherlock's neck. The two sat in silence as Sherlock began to warm up.

After a while, Sherlock asked the question that was on his mind for a while now. "John?" He asked.

"Yes Sherlock?" John whispered.

"Why do you care?"

John bit his lip and stared at Sherlock's curls. "What do you mean?"

"Why do you care about what happens to me?"

John pressed his forehead to Sherlock's neck. "Because I think you're beautiful." He mumbled too quietly for Sherlock to hear.

"Pardon?" Sherlock hummed. He was completely content with his position. His face was bruised and bloody and everything ached, but for once in his life he felt safe and cared for.

John held Sherlock tightly. "Because I think you're beautiful." He whispered with a little more confidence.

Sherlock froze where he sat. His breath caught in his throat, and he was having issues processing what he just said.

"Sherlock?" John whispered. When there was no response he pulled away from his friend. "I'm sorry I just thought- Sherlock are you okay?"John turned him over and looked into his eyes.

Sherlock locked eyes with John, still completely shocked by what John had said. He could see concern and fear in his eyes. He was acutely aware of the lack of heat that John had been providing. Taking a chance, Sherlock reached up and pulled John back on to the bed. He curled against his friends chest and wrapped his arms around John. "Shut up."

As Sherlock pulled at John, he released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He smiled and rubbed his hand on Sherlock's back. "I'm glad you're okay." John whispered into his curls.

Sherlock hugged John tighter. For the first time in a long time, Sherlock Holmes smiled.


	4. Together then

**A/N sorry this has taken forever to post, School started and my summer has been busier than I expected. Chapter 5 just needs to be edited and then I'll post it! Anyways, enjoy!**

John opened his eyes slowly, he could feel Sherlock breathing evenly against him. It was the last week of midterm finals and they had both exempted their tests for that day. John smiled, if he had to choose how he wanted to wake up every day, this would be it.

Sherlock yawned, he could hear John's steadily pumping heart next to his ear and smell him everywhere. He smiled and stretched himself out, peeking out through the sheets at John's face. Sherlock looked at John's smiling face and kissed him lightly.

John chuckled. "Someone's feeling adventurous today." John mumbled.

Sherlock smirked, wincing as it pulled at the damaged flesh. "Maybe just a bit more confident." He saw John look down and his smile wavered. Damn Sherlock thought to himself, you freak. Why would anyone want you.

Sherlock pulled away from John slightly. "I'm sorry I didn't mean t-" Sherlock started before John silenced him with a kiss.

"Shut up." John whispered, pulling Sherlock closer. "I'm just worried about you." He sighed, willing Sherlock to understand. "You don't have to apologize for anything. Honestly Sherlock, if it wasn't for those assholes that hurt you, this would probably be the best day of my life."

Sherlock looked away from John's eyes. "I'm S-"

"No, don't." John pressed his forehead to Sherlock's. "Please, I don't care what they say about you. I don't care what they do to me. All of it is worth it if it means I can spend time with you. You're worth everything Sherlock. Don't sell yourself short."

The two stayed in bed for a long time, comfortable just being in silence with each other. After a little while, John shifted and sat up.

"Sherlock." He hummed, looking down at his friend. "We need to talk to the dean, soon. It's already noon."

Sherlock groaned, wrapping himself in the blankets. "Why."

"We talked about this Sherlock." John pulled at the blankets. "You need to turn them in."

"What if nothing happens?"

"I'll be with you till the end, Sherlock. They don't matter anymore." John tugged at the blankets again, pulling them off of Sherlock.

"Okay." Sherlock whispered, pushing himself off the bed. He cringed as his aching muscles stretched. "Do you promise?"

"Of course Sherlock." John brushed some stray hairs away from his face. "I'm going to get you some new clothes and then we can go to the Dean together. Alright?"

Sherlock nodded reluctantly. He would never tell John, but he was absolutely terrified. The dean wasn't the problem, it was James. He had tried this before, somehow they knew and stopped him before he could step out the door.

"Sherlock." John set the clothes on the side of the bed. "Are you okay?"

Sherlock nodded slowly, taking the clothes. "I'll be fine John. I'm just a bit lost in thought."

John eyed Sherlock suspiciously. "Get changed, I'll wait." He smiled softly at Sherlock, kissing his curls. "I won't leave you, I promise." John whispered before moving across the small room and turning his back.

Sherlock changed as quickly as he could, but his numerous injuries made that difficult. After a few minutes of struggling to button his borrowed shirt. His fingers were clumsy and his arms were shaking. The cold last night had really sapped his energy.

He sat down on John's bed, defeated. "John." Sherlock whispered. He hated this, everything about this. The weakness and the feeling of defeat.

"Sherlock, are you okay?" John was concerned but he didn't want to risk making Sherlock uncomfortable.

Sherlock shook his head. "No, not really." Everything hurt, he just wanted it to stop.

John could hear the emotions in his voice and abandoned all previous worries. He moved quickly to Sherlock's side. "Hey, It's gonna be okay. I promise, I'm not going to leave you Sherlock. I'm never going to stop caring about you."

Sherlock shook his head and pulled away from John. "Don't you get it? I'm a disaster." He spat, looking sadly at John. "I can't even button my shirt for christ's sake! You have better things to do with your time." Sherlock pulled farther away as he felt John get closer. "Just-" He sighed and shook his head.

John slid off the bed and finished buttoning Sherlock's shirt for him. "You're not a disaster." John whispered calmly, moving to sit next to him again. "This is a low point for you Sherlock, a bad day. But the bad doesn't define us, and neither does the good. It's your actions and they way you respond to these times that make you, you." John put his hand on Sherlock's knee. "We're all broken. None of us are perfect, I can guarantee that, but you are worth my time. Sherlock Holmes, you are worth everything to me." He stared at Sherlock, feeling a deep ache in his chest.

Sherlock just shook his head. "I appreciate it, I really do John, but I just can't see it." He shook his head. "I've been through too much to see any good here. Everything is awful and I just want it to stop."

John took Sherlock's face in his hand, turning it to look at him. He moved forward slowly and kissed Sherlock carefully. He pulled back slightly and smiled. "Everything?" He whispered.

Sherlock looked away and smiled softly. He wiped gently at his eyes, careful for the bruises and torn skin. "Thank you." He whispered.

John smiled softly and stood. "Come on, we've got to talk to the dean."

Sherlock nodded and followed John. The two left the the dorm hall hand in hand, ignoring the looks of others around them.


End file.
